F-Zero 99

Also known as: N/A

Developer: Nintendo

I've enjoyed most of the "99" games that have come out on Nintendo's Switch. My favorite, by far, was instead a "35" game, Super Mario Bros. 35, but I think that F-Zero 99 may have slid right into that number two spot. Like the other "99" games, in F-Zero 99, you're battling against 98 other players in a game of elimination. Unlike the other games, where your goal is purely to survive, in F-Zero 99, your goal isn't just to survive - surviving a race will only get you so far. To really succeed in F-Zero 99, you also have to cross the finish line in first place…or as high as you can get. The gameplay is fantastic and since each race only lasts a few minutes, F-Zero 99 is a perfect game to kill a few minutes at a bus stop or on the can. There’s really only two major flaws in the game. The first one is the lack of vehicles. You're limited to the four original vehicles from the first F-Zero, though you can unlock paint jobs and such to make them stand out more. The other flaw would be the players you race against themselves. During the race, the other players are pretty good - nobody really races dirty and it's good clean fun. After the race, though, when everyone is voting for the next track is where it gets disappointing. I like variety, so I usually vote for more difficult tracks that I haven't unlocked yet…but the vast majority will always pick the easier track, which is also likely the track that most people have. That makes it very frustrating when you're trying to unlock everything, and when you're sick of playing Mute City for the 47th time in a row. Still, though, F-Zero 99's positives outweigh the negatives, and with its free price tag, it's well worth checking out if you own a Switch and subscribe to their online service.

Review added: 12/31/2023

Fight Crab

Also known as: N/A

Developer: Catappa Games

I love bizarre games, but I'm also able to give fair reviews. I put several hours into Fight Crab. I beat the game. I enjoyed how strange it was. All of that said, this is not a very well-made game by any stretch of the imagination. The physics are awful, the gameplay is repetitive and awkward, the graphics are outdated, and it's simply not a good game at all. Fight Crab is a game that relies on the novelty of playing an awkward game where you can beat up other crustaceans with loafs of bread, medieval maces, light sabers, or even your bare claws. If you play long enough you may even battle a crab that happens to be riding a seal while they fight you. The problem is that the novelty of Crab Fight will likely wear off quickly for most folks, so most players won't see the glory of a crab battling while atop a seal. If this was ten years or so ago, when a bizarre indie title with awkward controls was more rare, I might say more good things about Crab Fight…but it seems like it's the norm these days to find a really strange game that plays poorly and was seemingly only published to lure in folks, like me, who just want to play a game like this for the novelty of it, and are already expecting it to be poor. Anyway, if the novelty of fighting as a crab against other aquatic life sounds fun to you, then it may be worth giving Fight Crab a shot…just don't expect a lot of quality from it.

Review added: 12/11/2023

Final Fantasy XV: Pocket Edition

Also known as: N/A

Developer: Square Enix

I played through Final Fantasy XV earlier this year and liked it enough where I decided to give the Pocket Version a try shortly afterward. While the Pocket Edition isn't bad, it's also not quite what I had expected. When SquareEnix made Dragon Quest XI, they also created a "Pocket Edition," though it wasn't named that. That game’s simplified version was basically the entire game, but in a retro setting. I expected the same here, and instead what I got was a very cut-down version of Final Fantasy XV that included the key moments of the story, but also lacked much of what made me a fan of the non-pocket version. That's not to say that this game is useless - I think if people are intimidated by Final Fantasy XV on consoles, this pocket version is much more simplified and may work as a decent way to ease them into the main game. If the roles are reversed, though, and you're attempting to play through this after completing the console version, like I did, then you'll probably be a bit underwhelmed, like I was. The Pocket Edition of Final Fantasy XV isn't an awful game at all, but it lacks enough substance to be any better than a so-so game. If you want to experience the story of Final Fantasy XV, but with much, much more simplified gameplay, then the Pocket Edition may be the better choice for you.

Review added: 11/13/2023

Fortnite

Also known as: N/A

Developer: Epic Games

I don’t really get the appeal of Fortnite, to be honest. I mean, it’s not a bad game or anything…I just don’t get how it became the big hit that it has become. Maybe because it’s a free game and once folks get invested, the game has already sunk its claws into ‘em? I dunno. I do know that I played for a few hours, won a game or two, lost most of them, and I did mildly enjoy myself for the most part…but after a few hours, I never felt the need to revisit this game and play it again. That’s kind of how I feel about the battle royale genre as a whole - I tend to have a little fun, but not enough to keep me coming back for more. Anyway, in Fortnite, you’re crafting, participating in combat, and surviving all in one. As I said, it’s not bad by any means…I just don’t see it as being on a list of the best games ever made. However, my opinion aside, one could definitely argue that Fortnite has had an influence in video games since it launched, as a buffet of battle royal games have appeared over the last few years in an effort to emulate this game’s success. Even if you’re like me and this isn’t your cup of tea, you’ve at least gotta hand it to Fortnite’s developers for making this style of gameplay as popular as they did.

Review added: 12/18/2021